Month: February 2024
William Gibson’s Neuromancer will become an Apple TV+ show
The novel will finally make it to the screen after decades of false starts.
Enlarge / A cover image for Neuromancer included in Apple’s press release. (credit: Apple)
It’s been a long time coming: A TV series adapted from the famed William Gibson novel Neuromancer will air on Apple TV+. The streamer ordered 10 episodes.
The order comes after decades of failed attempts to greenlight a screen adaptation of the 1984 science fiction novel. The most recent widely known failed attempt was by Deadpool director Tim Miller in 2017.
The series will be helmed by showrunner, writer, and producer Graham Roland, who until now was best known as the creator of the AMC TV series Dark Winds and for helming the series Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan on Amazon Prime Video. Roland will share a co-creator credit on Neuromancer with J.D. Dillard, a TV writer known for his work on the recent Twilight Zone reboot series.
Setapp Will Be One of iPhone’s First Alternative App Marketplaces in EU
MacPaw today announced that Setapp will be available as an alternative app marketplace on the iPhone in the EU starting in April. Those wanting access to the beta version can join a waitlist, and developers interested in the platform can apply on this page.
Alternative app marketplaces are among the several changes that Apple is implementing in the EU with iOS 17.4, in order to comply with the Digital Markets Act.
On the Mac, Setapp is a popular subscription-based service that provides users with access to a curated collection of dozens of popular apps for $9.99 per month. This includes apps like Ulysses, iStat Menus, Spark Mail, Unite, Yoink, and more. Starting with iOS 17.4 and later, Setapp will be available directly on the iPhone in the EU.
MacPaw said the Setapp Mobile beta will offer a “carefully selected assortment of apps”:• Productivity and Business Tools: Boost your efficiency with tools for managing your schedule, staying on track, personalizing your internet experience, and much more.
• Creative and Design Software: Unlock your creative potential with intuitive tools designed for photo animation, document creation, and more.
• Lifestyle and Productivity: Improve your daily routines with apps that help you build better habits, stay updated with the latest news, and efficiently manage your notes and ideas.
• Utility Apps: Make everyday tasks easier with applications that enable you to share files effortlessly, monitor your spending, and streamline your idea organization process.
• Specialized Professional Tools: Engage with advanced applications tailored for detailed document searches, comprehensive database management, and more.MacPaw is one of the first companies to announce plans to offer an alternative app marketplace on the iPhone in the EU, along with Epic Games. Setapp subscribers on the Mac can already access a collection of iOS apps with a QR code system, and the alternative app marketplace will offer a more streamlined experience.
Apple is expected to release iOS 17.4 on or before March 6, the deadline for complying with the Digital Markets Act. For additional details about the changes coming to the App Store and more in the EU, read our previous coverage. The changes do not apply outside of the EU, nor do they apply to iPadOS in any country.Related Roundups: iOS 17, iPadOS 17Tag: SetappRelated Forums: iOS 17, iPadOS 17This article, “Setapp Will Be One of iPhone’s First Alternative App Marketplaces in EU” first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums
MacPaw today announced that Setapp will be available as an alternative app marketplace on the iPhone in the EU starting in April. Those wanting access to the beta version can join a waitlist, and developers interested in the platform can apply on this page.
Alternative app marketplaces are among the several changes that Apple is implementing in the EU with iOS 17.4, in order to comply with the Digital Markets Act.
On the Mac, Setapp is a popular subscription-based service that provides users with access to a curated collection of dozens of popular apps for $9.99 per month. This includes apps like Ulysses, iStat Menus, Spark Mail, Unite, Yoink, and more. Starting with iOS 17.4 and later, Setapp will be available directly on the iPhone in the EU.
MacPaw said the Setapp Mobile beta will offer a “carefully selected assortment of apps”:• Productivity and Business Tools: Boost your efficiency with tools for managing your schedule, staying on track, personalizing your internet experience, and much more.
• Creative and Design Software: Unlock your creative potential with intuitive tools designed for photo animation, document creation, and more.
• Lifestyle and Productivity: Improve your daily routines with apps that help you build better habits, stay updated with the latest news, and efficiently manage your notes and ideas.
• Utility Apps: Make everyday tasks easier with applications that enable you to share files effortlessly, monitor your spending, and streamline your idea organization process.
• Specialized Professional Tools: Engage with advanced applications tailored for detailed document searches, comprehensive database management, and more.MacPaw is one of the first companies to announce plans to offer an alternative app marketplace on the iPhone in the EU, along with Epic Games. Setapp subscribers on the Mac can already access a collection of iOS apps with a QR code system, and the alternative app marketplace will offer a more streamlined experience.
Apple is expected to release iOS 17.4 on or before March 6, the deadline for complying with the Digital Markets Act. For additional details about the changes coming to the App Store and more in the EU, read our previous coverage. The changes do not apply outside of the EU, nor do they apply to iPadOS in any country.
This article, “Setapp Will Be One of iPhone’s First Alternative App Marketplaces in EU” first appeared on MacRumors.com
Discuss this article in our forums
Meet the winners of the 2024 Dance Your PhD Contest
“One of the main messages I wanted to convey… is that differences lead to diversity.”
Weliton Menário Costa of the Australian National University won the 2024 Dance Your PhD contest with “Kangaroo Time.”
We’ve been following the annual Dance Your PhD contest for several years now, delighting in the many creative approaches researchers have devised to adapt their doctoral theses into movement—from “nano-sponge” materials and superconductivity to the physics of atmospheric molecular clusters and the science of COVID-19. This year’s winner is Weliton Menário Costa of the Australian National University for his thesis “Personality, Social Environment, and Maternal-level Effects: Insights from a Wild Kangaroo Population.” His video entry, “Kangaroo Time,” is having a bit of a viral moment, charming viewers with its catchy beat and colorful, quirky mix of dance styles and personalities—both human and kangaroo.
As we reported previously, the Dance Your PhD contest was established in 2008 by science journalist John Bohannon. It was previously sponsored by Science magazine and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and is now sponsored by the AI company Primer, where Bohannon is the director of science. Bohannon told Slate in 2011 that he came up with the idea while trying to figure out how to get a group of stressed-out PhD students in the middle of defending their theses to let off a little steam. So he put together a dance party at Austria’s Institute of Molecular Biotechnology, including a contest for whichever candidate could best explain their thesis topics with interpretive dance.
The contest was such a hit that Bohannon started getting emails asking when the next would be—and Dance Your PhD has continued ever since. It’s now in its 16th year. There are four broad categories: physics, chemistry, biology, and social science, with a fairly liberal interpretation of what topics fall under each. All category winners receive $750, while Costa, as the overall champion, will receive an additional $2,000.
Layoffs and weird PR emails | This week’s gaming news
Let’s all take a breath. Layoffs are still churning in the video game industry, even as the frigid winter air is beginning to thaw. Amid the turmoil of these past few months, there are still things to be excited about: new games and hardware, the evolution of established franchises, and plenty of small teams building surprises to shake up the status quo. Look at all of the rad things happening over at Playdate for just one example of positive momentum in video games (we’ll talk more about this next week).
Breathe in, breathe out.
Now, let’s dive back into the news cycle:
This week’s stories
PlayStation layoffs
The layoffs crisis in video games isn’t slowing down, and the latest company to announce drastic staffing cuts is PlayStation. Sony on Tuesday fired roughly 900 people from its PlayStation division and fully shut down its London Studio, which had been building a co-op multiplayer game for PS5. Insomniac, Naughty Dog and Guerrilla all lost employees, despite being behind some of the platform’s most successful games in recent memory. First-party studio Firesprite was also hit by the layoffs, and it reportedly had to cancel a live-service Twisted Metal project. It’s barely March, but already more than 7,000 video game workers have been laid off in 2024; last year, more than 9,000 people in the industry lost their jobs to layoffs.
Happy Pokémon Day!
February 27 was Pokémon Day, and in celebration, Nintendo revealed two new games: Pokémon Legends Z-A and Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket. Pokémon Legends Z-A is set in Lumiose City, which you might remember from Pokémon X and Y on the 3DS, and it looks like it features Mega Evolutions. Pokémon Legends Z-A is due to hit Switch in 2025. The other title, Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket, is a mobile game that should land on Android and iOS devices by the end of the year. It’s exactly what it sounds like — Nintendo is putting the physical card-opening mechanic inside your phone, complete with flashy animations and addictive sound effects when you rip off the digital packaging. You’ll also be able to engage in quick battles. Nintendo has clarified that Pocket will not have NFTs, but it is described as “free to start,” so expect microtransactions.
Random PR roundup
It’s been a strange and slow week here in Engadget video game land, so I thought we’d have some fun this episode. As tech reporters, we receive ridiculous emails from startups and PR agencies literally every day, and even though we don’t end up covering many of the proposed products, some of the messages themselves deserve a moment in the spotlight. Many of the pitches we get are just silly or tone deaf, but some of them are outright dystopian. And honestly, I thought you all might enjoy seeing some of the weirdness that hits our inboxes.
This is all meant in good fun — I appreciate the communications teams who are just trying to sell their stuff in creative ways. The real enemy here, as always, is capitalism.
So, here are some emails that recently found their way into my inbox and made me go wut:
GameScent – New Groundbreaking Device Enhances Player Immersion by Releasing Gameplay Corresponding Scents
“As players dive into a game, GameScent’s patent-pending adaptor captures audio in real-time. These real-time audio cues are processed by GameScent’s innovative AI to release scents that correspond with the on-screen action. Inhale the smoky aroma of battle, the exhilarating scent of speeding race cars, the calming fragrance of a forest, or the fresh smell of rain after a storm.”
Unsurprisingly, this little doodad comes with replaceable scent cartridges, though it’s unclear how to actually buy those at the moment. Scents include gunfire, explosion, racing cars, blood, sports arena and other brotastic flavors.
Is this… cool? There’s definitely a fun idea here about the future of immersion, right? Or I’ve completely lost the plot. Either could be true.
Seeking Products for Pickleball Stories? (Samples Available)
Ma’am, this is Engadget.
Deconstructeam Delivers a Valentine’s Day Surprise of Cosmic Proportions
This was for the game The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood, and the surprise was a huge dildo. I thought the whole email was cute, actually — it was tasteful and coyly advertised a giveaway in partnership with a well-known adult toy company. The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood is a sexy game and it stars a muscular behemoth the size of a planet, so it all made sense. It just didn’t fit in our general news feed, ya know?
(Story Idea:) Here’s Doom Running On A Robotic Lawn Mower: Yes, A Robotic Lawn Mower! (You Have To See It To Believe It!) (Video Included)
“I am reaching out with a great story that is sure to go viral… This spring, Husqvarna will make the iconic 1993 video game DOOM, available to play on the company’s robotic lawn mowers.”
I find this email charming because it’s just a traditional, infomercial-style email with lots of unnecessary exclamation points and parenthesis. I respect it. But seriously, are we still doing this Doom thing? Next you’ll be asking me if this lawn mower can run Crysis and making jokes about Leeroy Jenkins, and I’m just here in 2024, begging for some new references.
The best part of this one is the fact that, after I added it to my list of silly emails, we actually hit this as news on Engadget dot com. Who’s the joke now? (It’s me).
Meet My Regina | PC Preview – Dickhead-Destroying Extravaganza Cookie Cutter
“I’ve got something to show you, Jessica.
She’s one of the most incredible things I’ve ever held between my legs.
She’s small but tough and can take a beating.
And everyone knows she’s smart because she has a British accent.
She’ll giggle if you tickle her just right.
And she even glows in the dark!
Are you ready to meet her?
Well, are you?
Don’t be shy now.
Good. Well, here she is!”
I asked to be removed from this list.
Bonus Content
In more layoffs news, Until Dawn studio Supermassive Games fired about a third of its workforce, or roughly 90 employees, and the team is reorganizing. Also, indie studio Die Gut Fabrik, which created Sportsfriends, Johann Sebastian Joust and Saltsea Chronicles, has halted production amid funding issues and developers there are looking for other jobs.
Nintendo is suing Yuzu, a popular and long-running emulator that allows players to put their Switch games on other platforms. Nintendo argues that the app is “facilitating piracy at a colossal scale,” and says it illegally circumvents DMCA protections. Nintendo wants Yuzu shut down and the company is seeking damages.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth finally comes out on February 29 and our review from Mat Smith is live now. He’s a really big Final Fantasy nerd, and he really liked Rebirth.
Now Playing
Home Safety Hotline is the perfect game to play at your desk, on the PC, so you can let the mid-90s computer interface fully engulf your senses. In this game, you take calls from people complaining about pests and paranormal creatures invading their homes, and using a detailed reference guide, you identify what’s going on and help them sort it out. Or, you get it wrong and get fired while a family of three screams for their lives on the other end of the line. There’s also a broader meta-horror unfurling in the background, and I’m having a lovely, spooky time sorting through all of it. Home Safety Hotline is out now on Steam.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/layoffs-and-weird-pr-emails–this-weeks-gaming-news-173041054.html?src=rss
Let’s all take a breath. Layoffs are still churning in the video game industry, even as the frigid winter air is beginning to thaw. Amid the turmoil of these past few months, there are still things to be excited about: new games and hardware, the evolution of established franchises, and plenty of small teams building surprises to shake up the status quo. Look at all of the rad things happening over at Playdate for just one example of positive momentum in video games (we’ll talk more about this next week).
Breathe in, breathe out.
Now, let’s dive back into the news cycle:
This week’s stories
PlayStation layoffs
The layoffs crisis in video games isn’t slowing down, and the latest company to announce drastic staffing cuts is PlayStation. Sony on Tuesday fired roughly 900 people from its PlayStation division and fully shut down its London Studio, which had been building a co-op multiplayer game for PS5. Insomniac, Naughty Dog and Guerrilla all lost employees, despite being behind some of the platform’s most successful games in recent memory. First-party studio Firesprite was also hit by the layoffs, and it reportedly had to cancel a live-service Twisted Metal project. It’s barely March, but already more than 7,000 video game workers have been laid off in 2024; last year, more than 9,000 people in the industry lost their jobs to layoffs.
Happy Pokémon Day!
February 27 was Pokémon Day, and in celebration, Nintendo revealed two new games: Pokémon Legends Z-A and Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket. Pokémon Legends Z-A is set in Lumiose City, which you might remember from Pokémon X and Y on the 3DS, and it looks like it features Mega Evolutions. Pokémon Legends Z-A is due to hit Switch in 2025. The other title, Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket, is a mobile game that should land on Android and iOS devices by the end of the year. It’s exactly what it sounds like — Nintendo is putting the physical card-opening mechanic inside your phone, complete with flashy animations and addictive sound effects when you rip off the digital packaging. You’ll also be able to engage in quick battles. Nintendo has clarified that Pocket will not have NFTs, but it is described as “free to start,” so expect microtransactions.
Random PR roundup
It’s been a strange and slow week here in Engadget video game land, so I thought we’d have some fun this episode. As tech reporters, we receive ridiculous emails from startups and PR agencies literally every day, and even though we don’t end up covering many of the proposed products, some of the messages themselves deserve a moment in the spotlight. Many of the pitches we get are just silly or tone deaf, but some of them are outright dystopian. And honestly, I thought you all might enjoy seeing some of the weirdness that hits our inboxes.
This is all meant in good fun — I appreciate the communications teams who are just trying to sell their stuff in creative ways. The real enemy here, as always, is capitalism.
So, here are some emails that recently found their way into my inbox and made me go wut:
GameScent – New Groundbreaking Device Enhances Player Immersion by Releasing Gameplay Corresponding Scents
“As players dive into a game, GameScent’s patent-pending adaptor captures audio in real-time. These real-time audio cues are processed by GameScent’s innovative AI to release scents that correspond with the on-screen action. Inhale the smoky aroma of battle, the exhilarating scent of speeding race cars, the calming fragrance of a forest, or the fresh smell of rain after a storm.”
Unsurprisingly, this little doodad comes with replaceable scent cartridges, though it’s unclear how to actually buy those at the moment. Scents include gunfire, explosion, racing cars, blood, sports arena and other brotastic flavors.
Is this… cool? There’s definitely a fun idea here about the future of immersion, right? Or I’ve completely lost the plot. Either could be true.
Seeking Products for Pickleball Stories? (Samples Available)
Ma’am, this is Engadget.
Deconstructeam Delivers a Valentine’s Day Surprise of Cosmic Proportions
This was for the game The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood, and the surprise was a huge dildo. I thought the whole email was cute, actually — it was tasteful and coyly advertised a giveaway in partnership with a well-known adult toy company. The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood is a sexy game and it stars a muscular behemoth the size of a planet, so it all made sense. It just didn’t fit in our general news feed, ya know?
(Story Idea:) Here’s Doom Running On A Robotic Lawn Mower: Yes, A Robotic Lawn Mower! (You Have To See It To Believe It!) (Video Included)
“I am reaching out with a great story that is sure to go viral… This spring, Husqvarna will make the iconic 1993 video game DOOM, available to play on the company’s robotic lawn mowers.”
I find this email charming because it’s just a traditional, infomercial-style email with lots of unnecessary exclamation points and parenthesis. I respect it. But seriously, are we still doing this Doom thing? Next you’ll be asking me if this lawn mower can run Crysis and making jokes about Leeroy Jenkins, and I’m just here in 2024, begging for some new references.
The best part of this one is the fact that, after I added it to my list of silly emails, we actually hit this as news on Engadget dot com. Who’s the joke now? (It’s me).
Meet My Regina | PC Preview – Dickhead-Destroying Extravaganza Cookie Cutter
“I’ve got something to show you, Jessica.
She’s one of the most incredible things I’ve ever held between my legs.
She’s small but tough and can take a beating.
And everyone knows she’s smart because she has a British accent.
She’ll giggle if you tickle her just right.
And she even glows in the dark!
Are you ready to meet her?
Well, are you?
Don’t be shy now.
Good. Well, here she is!”
I asked to be removed from this list.
Bonus Content
In more layoffs news, Until Dawn studio Supermassive Games fired about a third of its workforce, or roughly 90 employees, and the team is reorganizing. Also, indie studio Die Gut Fabrik, which created Sportsfriends, Johann Sebastian Joust and Saltsea Chronicles, has halted production amid funding issues and developers there are looking for other jobs.
Nintendo is suing Yuzu, a popular and long-running emulator that allows players to put their Switch games on other platforms. Nintendo argues that the app is “facilitating piracy at a colossal scale,” and says it illegally circumvents DMCA protections. Nintendo wants Yuzu shut down and the company is seeking damages.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth finally comes out on February 29 and our review from Mat Smith is live now. He’s a really big Final Fantasy nerd, and he really liked Rebirth.
Now Playing
Home Safety Hotline is the perfect game to play at your desk, on the PC, so you can let the mid-90s computer interface fully engulf your senses. In this game, you take calls from people complaining about pests and paranormal creatures invading their homes, and using a detailed reference guide, you identify what’s going on and help them sort it out. Or, you get it wrong and get fired while a family of three screams for their lives on the other end of the line. There’s also a broader meta-horror unfurling in the background, and I’m having a lovely, spooky time sorting through all of it. Home Safety Hotline is out now on Steam.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/layoffs-and-weird-pr-emails–this-weeks-gaming-news-173041054.html?src=rss
Honkai Star Rail banner schedule confirmed, including banner 2.1
RPG Honkai Star Rail is known for its distinctive banners, so here’s a look at what’s coming up in the
The post Honkai Star Rail banner schedule confirmed, including banner 2.1 appeared first on ReadWrite.
RPG Honkai Star Rail is known for its distinctive banners, so here’s a look at what’s coming up in the schedule.
The banner system in incredibly profitable Honkai Star Rail involves trading in Star Rail passes for the chance of getting banners featuring the best and brightest of the Honkai Star Rail characters. There’s a wide range of characters that are set to be featured, including:
Acheron (five-star character – Lightning, Hunt)
Aventurine (five-star character – Imaginary, Preservation)
Gallagher (four-star character – Fire, Abundance)
Screwllum (four-star character – Imaginary, Erudition)
Firefly (five-star character – Quantum, Harmony)
Sam (five-star character – Fire, Destruction)
Yae Sakura (five-star character – Ice, Hunt)
Phoenix (five-star character – Fire, Erudition)
Setsugekka (five-star character – Ice, Erudition)
Fenghuang (five-star character – Fire, Abundance)
Specifically, the next Honkai Star Rail banner is expected to feature the five-star character Acheron (Lightning, Nihility) on her debut banner. She should be partnered with a rerun of Fu Xuan (Quantum, Preservation) on her ‘Forseen, Foreknown, Foretold’ banner. Both banners will comprise the first phase of Honkai Star Rail 2.1 and be available from Wednesday, 27 March.
Also coming up soon is the ‘Brilliant Fixation’ light cone banner, starring Along the Passing Shore, Achero’s signature five-star light cone, and the ‘Bygone Reminiscence’ light cone rerun banner, including an increased drop rate for Fu Xuan, Fu Xuan’s signature five-star light cones.
Honkai Star Rail 2.1 banners
Marking a new era of Honkai Star Rail banners, the Honkai Star Rail 2.1 banners will likely feature the five-star characters Acheron (Lightning, Nihility) for the first phase of the update and Aventurine (Imaginary, Preservation) for the second.
PCGames also reports that the four-star character Gallagher (Fire, Abundance) is believed to be about to make his debut in the second banner phase of the 2.1 update.
The exact details of the banner 2.1 update will be confirmed in the Honkai Star Rail 2.1 live stream, including the defined drop rates. However, rest assured that the drop rates will almost certainly be increased for a selection of four-star characters. It’s updates like these that earned Honkai Star Rail as one of the Apple App Store’s top apps of 2023.
Featured image: HoYoverse via IGDB
The post Honkai Star Rail banner schedule confirmed, including banner 2.1 appeared first on ReadWrite.